The more physically active you are, the better protected you may be against COVID-19, according to a new study with ties to Western University.
International researchers, including those at Western, measured physical activity data from more than 65,000 adults with COVID-19 from March 19, 2020 to June 30, 2021. What they found was that infected individuals who spent at least 60 minutes a week working out had lower rates of hospitalization, ICU admission, ventilation, and death when compared to those who were rarely physically active.
“Findings from this study – from a low-resource setting, such as South Africa – reiterate the public health importance of healthy lifestyles, including regular physical activity, to mitigate the negative health impact of the current pandemic,” said Dr. Saverio Stranges, professor and chair of epidemiology and biostatistics at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. “Regular physical activity, even of low to moderate intensity, may reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 infection, even among people with chronic medical conditions which may typically worsen the prognosis.”
The study was led by the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg in South Africa. For it, participants were grouped by activity level. Those placed in the low activity group were active fewer than 60 minutes a week, while people in the moderate to high level were active 60 minutes or more per week. Activity levels were gauged using records captured by smart devices, clocked gym attendance, and mass event participation as part of a health promotion program linked to private medical insurer Discovery Health.
“The data reinforces the need to make access to physical activity easier during pandemics, as part of government policy in fact, and promote its beneficial effects in health care more broadly,” said Dr. Jane Thornton, assistant professor of family medicine and epidemiology and biostatistics at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.
Thorton noted the level of physical activity needed to protect against severe COVID-19 outcomes is actually lower than recommended activity levels for adults, which is about 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week.
The study, titled ‘small steps, strong shield’, was recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
